10 Best Things to Do in Melbourne
Melbourne’s reputation as Australia’s culture, sport and coffee capital holds up in practice. These ten things are worth building a city visit around, whether you have 2 days or a full week.
Wander the laneways
Start with Hosier Lane’s rotating street art, then the cafe lanes of Degraves Street and Centre Place, and AC/DC Lane’s murals. The 1892 Block Arcade has a mosaic floor worth slowing down for, and the Royal Arcade, from 1870 and Australia’s oldest, has the Gog and Magog clock figures overhead.
See both NGV buildings
The NGV is genuinely two separate galleries. NGV International on St Kilda Road has the Waterwall entrance and Leonard French’s stained glass ceiling, with the permanent collection free. The Ian Potter Centre, NGV Australia, sits at Federation Square and covers Australian and Indigenous art, also free. ACMI, next door at Fed Square, is a free museum built around film, television and games.
Stand at Federation Square
Fed Square faces Flinders Street Station across the road, home to the “meet under the clocks” instruction locals still use. It doubles as the city’s civic hub for events year-round.
Shop and eat at Queen Victoria Market
Dating to 1878, the Queen Victoria Market is still the city’s biggest, with produce and deli stalls by day and seasonal Night Markets after dark.
Tour the MCG
Australia’s largest stadium, with room for over 100,024 people, houses the Australian Sports Museum and runs ground tours for about AUD $38. Catching an AFL match here between March and September, building to the Grand Final on Saturday 26 September 2026, is as Melbourne as it gets.
Go up Eureka Skydeck
Southbank’s Eureka Skydeck climbs 88 floors for city views, running about AUD $30 to $40, with “The Edge” glass cube as an add on. The old Melbourne Star wheel is currently closed for restoration, so don’t plan around it.
Spend an afternoon in St Kilda
St Kilda pairs a beach with Luna Park, the world’s oldest continuously running amusement park, and the little penguins that come ashore on the breakwater at dusk. Watching is free, but the timed reservation now needed books out fast.
Eat through Chinatown
Little Bourke Street’s Chinatown is the oldest continuously operating Chinatown in the Western world, and a long yum cha lunch is the obvious way to spend an afternoon there.
Slow down in the Botanic Gardens
The Royal Botanic Gardens are free and pair easily with the nearby Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne’s main war memorial, also free.
Cross into Fitzroy and Carlton
Fitzroy’s Brunswick Street covers street art, vintage shops and coffee, while Carlton’s Lygon Street is the city’s “Little Italy” and the historic home of its espresso culture.
For a day-by-day plan that fits these in order, see our 3-day Melbourne itinerary , or the full Melbourne guide for logistics.